


The man with the green dress

by Merlins_little_sister



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autumn, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gwen is mentioned, Kissing, Living Together, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Sexual Tension, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26862850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlins_little_sister/pseuds/Merlins_little_sister
Summary: Merlin accidentally buys a green sweater dress. His boyfriend Arthur likes it very much.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 158





	The man with the green dress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpiritWorld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritWorld/gifts).



> [Thanks to @kingdowager for proofreading!](https://kingdowager.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This fic was inspired by a dream of the lovely [@SpiritWorld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritWorld/pseuds/SpiritWorld)"! Thank you for sharing it, and thanks for letting me write this. I hope you like what I made of it. <3

Merlin was running late, which was nothing unusual. 

Merlin was always late. Working and studying at the same time was a lot of effort and there was always something on Merlin's mind to think about. Either something kept him busy, or there was a deadline that he was about to miss, or some chores that he hadn't done yet. Working and studying also meant that there was little time for buying necessities like clothes. 

Arthur always said Merlin should just order his clothes online as everyone else did, but Merlin didn't like buying clothes online. 

First of all, Merlin was very picky with the textiles that he liked in his clothes. Many materials made him sweat easily, or they simply felt uncomfortable on his skin. Ordering online was tricky in that respect. A lot of the time, Merlin ended up sending the stuff back because he didn't like it enough to actually wear it. This was a thing that could be avoided when he shopped in actual stores where he could touch the fabric and maybe even try them on if he had time. 

The second issue with shopping online was that it either wasn't ethical and sustainable, or it was very expensive. 

Thrift stores usually solved both problems. The clothes were affordable, and the money was mostly given to charity.

Also, most of the clothes had been previously owned, so there was no fear of color bleeding or shrinking. For Merlin, the benefits made up for the endless search and the randomness of the clothes that he did actually find. 

_ M: Running to the thrift store real quick. Need some more sweaters, it's getting colder. Do you need anything?  _

_ A: No ty. Be home for dinner. I am making lasagna. Good luck!  _

When Merlin finally made it to the store, it was almost closing time. The woman behind the counter didn't even try to hide her annoyance. 

"You have 5 minutes, boy," she hissed in his direction. 

Merlin nodded and jogged to the men's section. Luckily, this was his favorite store so he knew where to look for the sweaters in his size. He managed to find 3 pieces without print on it. 

Merlin hated random prints on shirts. Apart from some merchandise shirts, he owned mostly basic, unicolored items, as well as a couple of button-downs with a small pattern print on them. That's why he was extremely happy to find 3 unicolored sweaters in his size that seemed to be of good quality. 

Quickly, as to not upset the woman even further, he headed towards the checkout, paid for his items, and left the store. 

_ M: Found some. Will be home in 10.  _

_ A: Do I get a thrift haul, bb?  _

_ M: Oh, you bet. _

Arthur's lasagna wasn't ready when Merlin got home, which gave them time to do a tiny little haul in the living room first. 

They always did this when Merlin came home with new clothes from the thrift store. Sometimes, the items were too small, or too big, or just looked completely ridiculous on Merlin. Arthur found great joy in these moments. 

Other times, the pieces that Merlin found were simply perfect. Arthur loved watching Merlin pose in front of the fireplace, completely unaware of how beautiful he was. 

How beautiful he was with his hair all ruffled from the day, and with his hands that were rough from the hard work he did, yet so gentle with whatever they touched. 

How beautiful it was that his shirts were always just a little bit too tight over his chest. How cute he looked when he bit his lower lip thinking about something. Sometimes, Arthur would tell him, but other times he would just make a joke, hoping that Merlin understood nonetheless. 

That day, Merlin had scored a gray, a blue, and a green sweater. 

"This looks exactly like all your other shirts. How are people supposed to know that you wash them, MERlin?" Arthur commented on the gray sweater, causing a snort from Merlin. 

"I like it, it fits all my scarfs," he answered. 

For the blue sweater, Arthur simply gave an approving nod. Then, he compared it to Merlin's eyes and quickly kissed his boyfriend before he sat back on the sofa for the last item. 

"This one is strange. I don't think I'll keep it," Merlin mumbled when he entered the room again. "Why is this so long and tight?" 

When Arthur laid eyes on what his lover was wearing, he let out a shriek of laughter, threw his head back, and clapped his hands together. 

"You are wearing a  _ girls’  _ dress, Merlin," he said when he had somewhat recovered. 

"Oh - " Merlin looked down on himself in shock. "That explains it, indeed. Guess I'm returning this then."

"No no no," Arthur said, walking over to the other man. "First, I wanna see what it looks like when you wear it  _ as a dress.  _ Come on, my love. Get out of these pants." 

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest and watched his lover with an amused and challenging grin, while Merlin tried to get out of his pants. 

When Merlin was done, he fumbled with the hem of his green dress to adjust it. Then he stood there, with his hands on his hips, and did his best not to burst out with laughter. 

While Arthur agreed that it looked funny, he couldn't help but notice how the dress showed off Merlin's muscles and the bulge in his lower area. He bit his lower lip and let out an approving "Hmm."

"Oh my God," Merlin remarked, "you like it. Don't you?" 

"I beg your pardon, Merlin?" Arthur answered, failing at covering up that he did indeed like the green dress. Merlin just knew his boyfriend too well. 

"If this was shorter, it would be a perfect sweater," Merlin said, looking down on himself again, making a concentrated face. And he was right. The style of the dress fit Merlin well. It was simply too long. "Do you think I should ask Gwen to shorten it for me? She is a pretty good seamstress, after all." 

"Noooo," Arthur groaned. "You’re right. I do like this." He stepped forward, placing his hands on Merlin's butt. "I like how it shows off your skinny arse." Arthur kissed Merlin's nose, his hands gliding upward over Merlin's back to his buff chest. "I like how it displays your muscles." Another kiss, this time on Merlin's neck. Merlin moaned lightly. 

"And let's be honest," Arthur continued, kissing Merlin's jaw, "you'll end up in sweater, boxers, and socks anyway when you are at home, you might as well just keep it." Arthur planted a soft kiss on Merlin's lips. 

"You’re really not playing fair here," Merlin groaned. 

"And now," Arthur softly pushed away and looked deeply into the eyes of his lover, "get changed, so we can eat our dinner. I'm starving."

*

*

*

A couple of weeks later, autumn hit the city in full force. The days were chilly and rainy more often than not, and one day, Arthur found Merlin curled up on the sofa with a blanket over his legs, a book in his hands, and a cup of tea on the side table. The fireplace was lit and bathed the room in a warm light. 

Arthur made himself a cup of tea, grabbed his phone from the table, and walked over to the sofa. 

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. Merlin shook his head and lifted the blanket up with one hand so that Arthur could crawl under it. "Are you wearing that dress again?" he laughed at the sight of green wool and naked legs under the blanket. 

"What?" Merlin looked up and made a face. "It's comfy, and you were the one who wanted me to keep it, remember?" 

"How am I supposed to concentrate on my phone when you’re half-naked next to me?" Arthur mocked his boyfriend, making a jokingly outraged face. 

"Who said I want you to concentrate on your phone," Merlin remarked, his voice low, a mischievous grin on his face. 

"All right," Arthur tossed his phone aside. "I shall make it my task for the evening to get you away from your book then." 

"Good luck with that," Merlin grinned, not looking up from the pages. 

Arthur laughed, loud and full, then he leaned into the curve of Merlin's neck and breathed in his scent. 

Merlin had stopped actually reading the words on the page in front of him, but he played along, pretending that he didn't care. 

Meanwhile, Arthur slowly kissed his way from Merlin's neck, over his jaw, to his ears, while stroking the inside of Merlin's thigh with his hand. When Arthur started to lick his earlobe, Merlin lost it, moaned loudly, and tossed the book aside. 

He climbed onto Arthur's lab and cupped his face with his hands. 

"You won," he smiled. "I'm all yours. What now?" 

"Now," Arthur answered, his eyes locked with Merlin, breath coming heavier than before, "I would like permission to get you out of this beautiful dress, my love." 

*

*

*

**The End**


End file.
